Flyer Cheyenne – High Plains Audubon Society Chartered by the National Audubon Society since 1974

Serving southeastern Wyoming Audubon members

Officers and Committee Chairs

Barb Gorges, President—307-634-0463,

bgorges4@msn.com

Dennis Saville, Vice president—

307-632-1602, dtsaville@gmail.com

Donna Kassel, Secretary—307-634-6481 Chuck Seniawski, Treasurer, 307-638-6519, chuckski@aol.com

Jack Palma, Audubon Rockies liaison—

jpalma@hollandhart.com

Pete Arnold, Audubon Rockies liaison

Greg Johnson, Bird Compiler—

307-634-1056, gjohnson@west-inc.com

Conservation—Vacant

Belinda Moench, Education—638-8257

Field Trip—Vacant

Historian—Vacant

Mark Gorges, Newsletter, Habitat Hero pro-

gram—307-634-0463, mgorges@juno.com

Art Anderson, Important Bird Areas—

307-638-1286

Wanda Manley, Member at Large

Membership—Vacant

Barb Gorges, Programs—307-634-0463,

bgorges4@msn.com

Lorie Chesnut, Hospitality, Website

The CHPAS Flyer is published monthly as a benefit of chapter membership. Submissions are welcome. The current issue is available online at www.CheyenneAudubon.wordpress.com.

Please become a CHPAS member—Send $12 and your name and mailing address to the chapter. Include your e-mail address to get your newsletter digitally to save re-sources and see the photos in color. All chap-ter memberships expire Aug. 31.

Cheyenne-High Plains Audubon Soc.

P.O. Box 2502

Cheyenne, WY 82003-2502 www.CheyenneAudubon.wordpress.com

Wyobirds e-list - Subscribe, post and/or read interesting sightings: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-HOME.exe?A0=WYOBIRDS.

September 2017

September 19—Program: Birds of The Seren-

geti mixed in with a smattering of the culture of

East Africa–Pete and Ruth Arnold.

5 p.m. No host dinner with the speaker at 2 Doors

Down, 118 E. 17th St. Call Chuck (638-6519) if com-

ing to dinner.

7 p.m. Willow Room, Laramie County Public Li-

brary, 2200 Pioneer Ave.

In January and Febru-

ary, 2017 Pete and Ruth visit-

ed Kenya and Tanza-

nia. About 25,000 photos lat-

er, they have selected just a

few images of the birds seen

on that wonderful trip.

Also included at no ex-

tra charge, some photos of the culture of those otherworldly

countries. (Editor’s note: We never charge for programs.)

Sep. 23—Field Trip: Help us knock down burdock in

Curt Gowdy State Park at 8 a.m. We will leave from the Lions Park Children's Village parking

lot. Carpooling maybe available. Or you can meet us at the Curt Gowdy

Visitors Center at about 8:30. Finish by 1 p.m.

Bring water and your lunch. Bring the following, if you have

them: 5 gallon plastic bucket, pruners/nippers, long-sleeved shirt (burs

will stick to flannel, fleece and sweatshirts), long pants (many burdock

plants are among shrubs and trees), gloves, and boots (burs stick to ath-

letic shoes). Wear a hat to keep burs out of your hair.

Please contact Mark & Barb for more information, 307-634-

0463, and to be on the list of participants to be notified of any change in

plans due to weather.

September 26—Board Meeting 7 p.m. Sage Room (2nd floor),

Laramie County Library, 2200 Pioneer Ave.

Open to all who would like to work with the chapter.

September 29—Cheyenne Country Club Survey 8 a.m.

Contact Chuck Seniawski if you wish to take part or be on the

email notice list: 307-638-6519. Anyone is welcome to join the group,

but you must register with Chuck by the week before the survey so that

he can make arrangements with the Country Club.

all thanks to a generous $1

™s

that connects people to native plants, birds, and their local Audubon presence by ZIP

re-

connect people to

re accurate, so

9/10/2017

Lilac-breasted Roller by Pete Arnold

Welcome to the new chapter membership year which

began Sept. 1. If you get this newsletter by U.S. mail, this will be

your last one until you renew. Membership forms are at https://

cheyenneaudubon.wordpress.com/. Or send your $12 dues to our

PO box along with your name, address, email address, and phone

number. We hope you will opt for the full-color, electronic ver-

sion of the newsletter. Any time you want to change how you get

it, please call editor Mark Gorges at 307-634-0463.

The bench in front of the new Cheyenne Botanic

Gardens Grand Conservatory is in place. It commemorates the

chapter’s $5,000 donation. Perfect for birdwatching, it looks

across a flower bed that will be planted next spring, to the trees

at the entrance to the Children’s Village.

Chapter conservation and education grants were a

topic at the August board meeting. Encourage people you know

to apply for one for conservation, scholarship, community out-

reach or education, especially 3-5th grade teachers who might

like Audubon Adventures curricula. See our chapter website at:

https://cheyenneaudubon.wordpress.com/.

A summary of the sage-grouse egg collection issue is

available from the Casper Star Tribune, http://trib.com/opinion/

columns/connelly-sage-grouse-aren-t-pheasants-and-captive-

rearing-is/article_ee789258-7242-555b-b1aa-e7e28a353165.html.

National Audubon , Wyoming Outdoor Council and the Wyo-

ming Chapter of The Wildlife Society, among others, recommend

against plans to collect Greater Sage-Grouse eggs from wild pop-

ulations. Our board discussed the need for someone to follow this

issue to keep the chapter up to date. Interested?

Local bird sightings were on the agenda at the August

board meeting. We also discussed future monthly programs, field

trips, and Habitat Hero workshops. Some of our committees are

one-person operations, or have no chair currently. I dream about

how much fun it would be and how much more we could do (and

maybe less work per person) if all of you found your favorite

way to volunteer for our chapter. We need help spending the gen-

erous donations so many of you make when you send in your

dues! Call me—Barb Gorges, 307-287-4952.

From the CHPAS President by Barb Gorges

Cheyenne Country Club survey, August 25 by Chuck Seniawski

Cheyenne Country Club, Laramie, Wyo-

ming, US

7:00 AM - 8:55 AM

Comments: 62 degrees. Mostly sunny.

Steady breeze. Art Anderson, Mark Gorg-

es, Jerry Johnson, Chuck Seniawski.

20 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose 2

Gadwall 4

Mallard 18

Pied-billed Grebe 3

Double-crested Cormorant 4

American White Pelican 5

Great Blue Heron 1

Black-crowned Night-Heron 3

Turkey Vulture 1

Osprey 1

Sharp-shinned Hawk 3 One adult ac-

companied by two juveniles.

American Coot 1

Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 4

Empidonax sp. 1

American Crow 11

Tree Swallow 1

Barn Swallow 13

American Robin 12

Wilson's Warbler 2

Red-winged Blackbird 1

House Finch 5

View this checklist online at http://

ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S38824813

Habitat Heroes—Announcing Audubon's Burke Center for Native Plants

from National Audubon Society

Mark Gorges tries out the new bench at the CBG donated by our

chapter. Photo by Barb Gorges

We’re excited to announce the

launch of the new virtual Coleman and Susan

Burke Center for Native Plants all thanks to a

generous $1 million, three-year gift from

Audubon board member Coleman Burke and his wife, Susan.

The virtual center will significantly expand Audubon’s Plants

for Birds program over the next three years through the follow-

ing:

- Supporting our ever-expanding, first-of-its-kind web platform

that connects people to native plants, birds, and their local Audu-

bon presence by ZIP code;

- Building the Audubon network’s capacity to promote native

plant use in communities by providing a continuously expanding

set of tools and resources to support local work;

- Distributing small grants that provide financial support to build

influence and visibility for the Audubon native plant activities;

- Driving native plant use in communities through partnership

development, marketing campaigns, and other activities that con-

nect people to native plants and Audubon.

Since the launch of Plants for Birds last September,

more than 500,000 people have visited the main Plants for Birds

site (spending an average of 9 minutes searching on the site).

Feedback from many of you across the Audubon network keeps

making the website even better and more accurate, so thank you

for your ongoing feedback!

The eight people on the trip tal-

lied 52 bird species.

Canada Goose

Gadwall

American Wigeon

Mallard

Blue-winged Teal

Northern Shoveler

Redhead

Lesser Scaup

Ruddy Duck

Pied-billed Grebe

Eared Grebe

Western Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant

American White Pelican

Great Blue Heron

Cattle Egret

Black-crowned Night-Heron

White-faced Ibis

Osprey

Golden Eagle

Northern Harrier

Bald Eagle

Swainson’s Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

American Coot

Sandhill Crane

American Avocet

Killdeer

Western Sandpiper

Wilson’s Phalarope

Red-necked Phalarope

Willet

Mourning Dove

American Kestrel

Prairie Falcon

Black-billed Magpie

American Crow

Common Raven

Horned Lark

Tree Swallow

Barn Swallow

Marsh Wren

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Wilson’s Warbler

Lark Sparrow

Sagebrush Sparrow

Vesper Sparrow

Song Sparrow

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Red-winged Blackbird

Brown-headed Cowbird

Pine Siskin

Besides the birds, also seen were

a variety of mammals:

Moose

Mule Deer

Pronghorn

Coyote

Badger

Muskrat

White-tailed Prairie Dog

We could not have asked for a more perfect day for a

trip to the Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge in Jackson County,

Colorado. The sky was sunny with picture-perfect clouds that

occasionally provided shade as the day grew warmer. Rabbit

brush was in full bloom with bright yellow flowers, standing out

vividly against the gray-green sage.

We started at the overlook near the community of Wal-

den where we saw a trio of bright white Cattle Egret stationed on

a small tree some distance from the platform. We proceeded to

work our way around the refuge, driving along dirt roads, and

lingering by lakes that held abundant waterfowl. The highlight of

the trip for this birder was first hearing, and later seeing, a flock

of eight Sandhill Cranes, kettling on the thermal updrafts of the

refuge before continuing their flight south for the winter.

As we drove through the refuge roads, a number of

hawks and other raptors were sighted on power lines and fence

posts. Small trees by the roadside held hidden treasures like the

sighting of a Yellow-rumped Warbler by one of our guides. The

trip concluded at the Ranger Station where we split up to continue

birding on our own. Thank you Cheyenne-High Plains Audubon

for a wonderful trip to the Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge.

Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge Field Trip Report – August 26 by Lorie Chesnut

A beautiful day on the marsh: Photo by Lorie Chesnut

Other fall outings of interest

September 9, Saturday—The Laramie Audubon Chapter is

taking a field trip to the Wyoming Hereford Ranch. They are

leaving Laramie at 7 a.m. and should be at the ranch by 8 a.m.

The riparian areas at the Hereford Ranch host an incredible array

of expected migrants and often deliver rarities. This trip is a par-

ticularly nice one for beginning birders.

September 10, Sunday—Gary Lefko is bringing a group up

from Nunn, Colo., for a field trip to the Wyoming Hereford

Ranch and Lions Park. He expects to arrive at the ranch by 8:30.

Other Laramie Audubon field trips are planned

for : Sep 16: Hutton Lake NWR

Sep 23: Laramie Hotspots

Oct 07: Rock Creek Canyon

Oct 14: Plains Lakes

Oct 21: Nest box work day

Nov 11: Laramie Valley migrants

You can keep up to date on these Laramie trips and find

information about meeting location and times by checking their

website at: http://laramieaudubon.blogspot.com/

Cheyenne – High Plains Audubon Society

P.O. Box 2502

Cheyenne, WY 82003

Bird finding gets better

Published Aug. 20, 2017, in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle—By Barb Gorges

When your interest in birds takes you beyond your backyard, you need a guide beyond your bird identification book. That help can come in many forms—from apps and websites to a trail guide book or local expert. Noah Strycker needed a bird-finding guide for the whole world for his record-breaking Big Year in 2015. His book, "Birding without Borders," due out Oct. 10, documents his trav-els to the seven continents to find 6,042 species, more than half the world total. In it, he thoughtfully considers many bird-related top-ics, including how technology made his record possible, specifi-cally eBird.org. In addition to being a place where you can share your birding records, it's "Explore Data" function helps you find birding hotspots, certain birds and even find out who found them. Strycker credits its enormous global data base with his Big Year success. Another piece of technology equally important was http://birdingpal.org/, a way to connect with fellow enthusiasts who could show him around their own "backyards." Every spe-cies he saw during his Big Year was verified by his various trav-elling companions. Back in 1968, there was no global data base to help Peter Alden set the world Big Year record. But he only needed to break just over 2,000 species. He helped pioneer international birding tourism through the trips he ran for Massachusetts Audu-bon. By 1981, he and British birder John Gooders could write "Finding Birds Around the World." Four pages of the nearly 700 are devoted to our own Yellowstone National Park. When I bumped into Alden at the Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts, (a birding hotspot) in 2011, he offered to send me an autographed copy for $5. I accept-ed, however, until I read Strycker's book, I had no idea how fa-mous a birder he was. As Strycker explains it, interest in international bird-ing, especially since World War II, has kept growing, right along with improved transportation to and within developing countries, which usually have the highest bird diversity. However, some of his cliff-hanging road descriptions would indicate that perhaps sometimes the birders have exceeded the bounds of safe travel. For the U.S., the Buteo Books website will show you

a multitude of American Birding Association "Birdfinding" titles for many states. Oliver Scott authored "A Birder's Guide to Wyo-ming" for the association in 1992. Robert and Jane Dorn included bird finding notes in the 1999 edition of their book, "Wyoming Birds." Both books are the result of decades of experience. A variation on the birdfinding book is "the birding trail." The first was in Texas. The book, "Finding Birds on the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail," enumerates a collection of routes connecting birding sites, and includes information like park entrance fees, what amenities are nearby, and what interest-ing birds you are likely to see. Now you can find bird and wild-life viewing "trails" on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website. Many states are following their example. People in Wyoming have talked about putting togeth-er a birding trail for some years, but it took a birding enthusiast like Zach Hutchinson, a Casper-based community naturalist for Audubon Rockies, to finally get it off the ground. The good news is that by waiting this long, there are now software companies that have designed birding trail apps. No one needs to print books that soon need updates. The other good news is that to make it a free app, Hutchinson found sponsors including the Cheyenne - High Plains Audubon Society, Murie Audubon Society (Casper), Wyoming State Parks, and WY Outside - a group of nonprofits and govern-ment agencies working to encourage youth and families in Wyo-ming to spend more time outdoors. Look for "Wyoming Bird Trail" app on either iTunes or Google Play to install it on your smart phone. Hutchinson has made a good start. The wonderful thing about the app technology is that not only does it borrow Google Maps so directions don't need to be written, the app infor-mation can be easily updated. Users are invited to help. There is one other way enterprising U.S. birders re-search birding trips. They contact the local Audubon chapter, perhaps finding a member, like me, who loves an excuse to get out for another birding trip and who will show them around - and make a recommendation for where to have lunch.